Dylan Groenewegen claimed his second consecutive stage victory in the 2018 Tour de France on Bastille Day. After his impressive victory in Chartres, the 25-year-old sprinter of Team LottoNL-Jumbo remained cold-blooded in the streets of Amiens. Only in the last few metres he got rid of his rivals and won again with a great display of power.
For Groenewegen it’s his third stage victory in the Tour de France. It’s his eleventh win of this season and the twenty-second for Team LottoNL-Jumbo.
Groenewegen was perfectly positioned by Paul Martens and Amund Grondahl Jansen after Timo Roosen hadn’t been able to do his part in the lead-out due to a crash. Groenewegen perfectly timed his sprint and won stage eight in a superior way.
“This is very beautiful. We have worked really hard for this”, Groenewegen said. “It was about fighting for a good position all day. I chose Greipel’s wheel and when I saw him going shoulder to shoulder with Gaviria I thought: now is the moment. I have to thank the team for their trust and support. This would have never been possible without my teammates.”
Merijn Zeeman, Sportive Director of Team LottoNL-Jumbo, was delighted with Groenewegen’s two consecutive stage wins. “In 2016, we started the sprint project around Groenewegen. The intention was to go for stage victories in the 2018 Tour de France. The fact that he has now taken two stage wins after having won in the Tour last year as well, is very satisfactory. Especially because we have further developed him into the sprinter he is today after his first year with Team Roompot”, he said.
“Dylan has developed himself step by step every year and this pays off now. Amund Jansen, Paul Martens, Timo Roosen, Tom Leezer and Robert Wagner have also played a major role in this whole project. Our policy is to develop and improve young talents. All resources and expertise are put into this and this is now paying off. We pay attention to all kind of details, from training to nutrition to equipment. Everyone within this team contributes to this. We’re all on the same page and that is necessary to keep growing.”
Van Avermaet Secures Another Day in Yellow Ahead of Cobbles
Greg Van Avermaet ensured he would head into the highly anticipated Roubaix stage in the yellow jersey tomorrow after crossing the line safely behind the bunch sprint in Amiens on Tour de France stage 7 today.
BMC Racing Team maintained a constant presence at the front of the peloton as the leaders’ advantage was brought back to inside 1’30” and the catch was eventually made by a reduced main bunch inside the final 7km after a crash 10km earlier.
It didn’t take long for the battle for position to begin as the speed picked up going through the heart of Amiens and in the end, the predicted bunch sprint played out with Groenewegen again taking the win.
Van Avermaet, who extended his overall advantage to seven seconds after taking a bonus second at the sprint with 20.5km to go, will now head into his sixth day in the yellow jersey on stage 9 tomorrow.
Richie Porte was once again looked after by his teammates all day and after finishing safely in the bunch, he moved up into 10th overall on the General Classification while Tejay van Garderen continues to sit third.
“Everything is going well. I was hoping for one day in yellow but not as many as this,” Van Avermaet said at the finish line. “I am really enjoying it every day. It is something special and it will be great if I can keep it in Roubaix. It will be nice to go onto the cobbles with the yellow jersey and hopefully I get an extra day after tomorrow.
“It is definitely going to be different as this is the first time that there has been this many cobbles on a Tour de France stage. You will have GC riders being protected by their team but they aren’t going for the win, they are just going up there to not lose too much time. I think there will be a small group of riders who can have a little bit of freedom so it will be pretty strange. I think it is going to be really hectic, really fast from start to finish and I think positioning will be key on every sector.
“For us, it will be a team effort. We are a team and have had a lot of guys working for Richie and me over these past few days. They are doing a great job so far and hopefully, we can keep up the good work tomorrow and get ourselves into position with Richie in my wheel. That would be the best and then he just has to try and follow for a long as possible and for sure, he can then maybe even gain time on the other contenders.
“A lot of things can happen tomorrow and there will be a lot of stress around. I hope to be good. Having no problems, no crashes and no flat tires would be a great thing already and then if I don’t have any of those problems, I think I can be up there in the final and hopefully, Richie is with me.”
2018 Tour de France Stage 8 Brief Results:
- 1. Dylan Groenewegen (NED) Team LottoNL – Jumbo 4:23:36
- Peter Sagan (SVK) BORA – hansgrohe s.t.
- John Degenkolb (GER) Trek – Segafredo s.t.
- Alexander Kristoff (NOR) UAE Team Emirates s.t.
- Arnaud Démare (FRA) Groupama – FDJ s.t.
- Thomas Boudat (FRA) Direct Energie s.t.
- Nikias Arndt (GER) Team Sunweb s.t.
- Mark Cavendish (GBR) Team Dimension Data s.t.
- Yves Lampaert (BEL) Quick-Step Floors s.t.
- Andrea Pasqualon (ITA) Wanty – Groupe Gobert s.t
General Classification After Stage 8:
- Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) BMC Racing Team at 32:43:00
- Geraint Thomas (GBR) Team Sky +7″
- Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team +9″
- Philippe Gilbert (BEL) Quick-Step Floors +16″
- Bob Jungels (LUX) Quick-Step Floors +22″
- Rigoberto Urán (COL) Team EF Education First Drapac p/b Cannondale +49″
- Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Movistar Team +55″
- Rafal Majka (POL) BORA – hansgrohe s.t.
- Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) Astana Pro Team +57″
- Richie Porte (AUS) BMC Racing Team s.t.
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